Connecting device for corrugated sheets



Jan. 11, 1966 G. e. HAZELL CONNECTING DEVICE FOR CORRUGATED SHEETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 27, 1962 INVENTOR GORDON G. HAZELL Y E (i M ra", 4 1010: 4 -1 1 ATTORNEYS Jan. 11, 1966 G. G. HAZELL CONNECTING DEVICE FOR CORRUGATED SHEETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1962 H6. 3

INVENTOR.

GORDON G. HAZE LL ATTOR NE YS United States Patent 3,228,495 CDNNECTING DEVICE FOR CORRUGATED SHEETS Gordon G. Hazell, Arlington, Va, assignor to The Ru- ?eroid Co., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New ersey Filed June 27, E62, Ser. No. 205,711 1 Claim. (Cl. 18936) This invention relates to a device for interconnecting two longitudinally corrugated sheets installed by sliding one sheet alongside the next and, more particularly, to a device which is attachable to a lateral edge portion of one of the sheets adjacent the corrugations thereof overlapping the other sheet for preventing separation of the respective overlapped portions.

While the attachment device of this invention is useful in many instances where two corrugated sheets are to be juxtaposed with their longitudinal corrugations overlapping, it is especially applicable to the installation of corrugated bulkheading along the shore of a canal or waterway. Such bulkheads consist of vertical or sloping corrugated sheets, typically about three feet wide and about eight feet long, positioned side-by-side along the desired shoreline with one or two of their edges corrugations overlapping. In areas where the soil is relatively washable and erosion is especially severe, a common method of installing the sheets involves holding the sheet upright with its lower edge resting on the ground at the point where it is to be located and then fluidizing the ground along that lower edge by means of a portable water jet. As the nozzle is moved back and forth along the sheets lower edge, the soil is jetted loose and the sheet sinks easily into the ground. When the sheet descends to the desired position the jet is withdrawn and the ground settles back around the sheets lower emplaced portion to hold it firmly in position.

Once one sheet of corrugated bulkheading has been installed in this manner, another is sunk in the same way alongside the first with their vertical corrugations overlapping. It is quite important that each additional sheet fits closely against the prior one from top to bottom, or otherwise there will be a crack between them through which water can wash to erode the fill from the landward side of the bulkhead into the canal. Eventually this could undermine the bulkhead to the extent that it might collapse.

During the above-mentioned installation procedure, it is not too difficult to insure that the sheet being sunk is held in close contact with the upper exposed portion of the preceding sheet already installed. However, it is appreciably more diflicult and sometimes almost impossible to maintain the lower edge portion of the displaced sheet in the desired close contact against the lower submerged portion of the sheet already in place. If the lower edge portion of the sheet being installed, which to a great extent is beyond the control of the worker, toes outwardly away from the one in place, the separation between them may be quite substantial at the bottom even though they are in proper contact at their upper edges.

One of the primary objects of this invention is the provision of a device attachable to the lower lateral edge portion of the displaced sheet adjacent its overlapping portion for preventin such separation of the respective overlapped sheets during and after installation. It is to be borne in mind in the following description and claims of this invention that the new device is by no means limited to use on the lower edge of the displaced sheet since, in modified form, it may readily be attached to the upper edge of the adjacent installed sheet to overlie the displaced sheet and insure that their upper portions are also held in the desired close contact. Moreover, it is fully contemplated that the new device may be used to considerable 3,228,495 Patented Jan. 11, 1966 advantage in installations other than bulkheading, though that is the inventions primary purpose, as for example corrugated roofing or siding where sheets are to be mounted in parallel partially overlapping relation.

Broadly stated, the invention contemplates the combination of improved connecting devices with longitudinally corrugated bulkheading sheets installed by sliding one sheet longitudinally downwardly alongside another with at least one of their side corrugations overlapping. The connecting devices are a pair of allochiral rigid onepiece devices attached respectively to the upper lateral edge of an installed sheet and to the lower lateral edge of a displaced sheet being installed adjacent the respective overlapping portions for preventing separation of the respective overlapped portions during and after installation. Each of the devices comprises a quadrilateral panel portion formed in a curved configuration with two opposed edges straight and the other two opposed edges curved. The panel portion lies flush against a portion of that corrugated phase of the sheet to which the device is attached which is in sliding contact with the other sheet. A plurality of clip portions are spaced along and extend in offset relation from one curved edge of the panel portion and project back in opposition to the panel portion. The clip portions fit around the lateral edge of the sheet to which the device is attached. A single retaining flange portion extends in offset relation equal in extent but opposite in direction to the oliset of the clip portions from one straight edge of the panel portion throughout the length thereof. The flange portion projects outwardly away from the panel portion so that the flange portion laterally overlies the overlapping longitudinal edge of the other sheet as the displaced sheet slides downward into position.

When used with corrugated sheets installed by sliding one sheet longitudinally with respect to its corrugations alongside another with at least a portion of their side corrugations substantially overlapping, the connecting device is attachable to a lateral edge portion of one of the sheets adjacent its overlapping portion for preventing separation of the respective overlapped portions of the sheets. The panel element is then adapted to be disposed against one corrugated surface of the sheet to which the device is attachable, and the clip element, or elements, fits around the lateral edge portion of that sheet. The flange element projecting outwardly away from the panel element is adapted to overlie the overlapping longitudinal edge of the other sheet to prevent separation of the respective overlapped portions of the sheet.

The above-described device may be clipped onto the lower edge of a corrugated bulkheading sheet just before that sheet is to be sunk alongside another by the groundfluidizing technique described hereinbefore. The retaining flange element projecting from the panel element laterally overlies part of the overlapping longitudinal side corrugations of the sheet already in place. Thus, as the water jet is moved back and forth and the sheet to which the device is attached descends into the ground, the retaining flange guides its lowermost portion downwardly in close sliding contact with the overlapping corrugations of the installed sheet. This guiding and retaining function of the new device continues throughout the descent of the sheet being sunk until it reaches its desired position, usually coextensive with the adjacent installed sheet at both its upper and lower ends. The device, of course, is left in place and is covered over with the fill washed around the emplaced portion of the newly-positioned sheet. Hence, it continues to serve as an interconnecting means even after the bulkheading is installed.

If it is desired to employ the new device at the upper end of the adjacent sheet already installed as mentioned previously, it is simply designed with the retaining flange portion projecting from the side of the panel in a fashion opposite to that counterpart used in the lower edge of the sheet. Hence, the lower and upper devices are allochiral, that is to say the lower device is right-handed and the upper device left-handed or vice versa.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view partly broken away, illustrating the installation of corrugated bulkhead sheets equipped with the new connecting device;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view from the waterside of the bulkhead showing the new connecting device attached to the lower lateral edge of one corrugated sheet during installation alongside another corrugated sheet;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 from the landward side of the bulkhead showing the displaced sheet almost in its fully descended position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one allochiral form of the connecting device;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the other allochiral form of the connecting device; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a modified form of the new connecting device asssciated with corrugated sheets installed at right angles to one another to form a corner in a bulkhead.

When corrugated sheets are used to form a bulkhead along a canal or waterway, that may be installed in the manner illustrated by FIG. 1. Two corrugated sheets 10 and 10a, typically about three feet wide and eight feet long, are shown already in place and a similar third corrugated sheet 1011 is illustrated in the process of installation. Each of these sheets is vertically disposed (though alternatively they may be sloping) along the bank of a canal with one complete longitudinal side corrugation overlapping a like corrugation on the adjacent sheets. In the jetting technique installation discussed previously, the corrugated sheet being installed, here 10b, is disposed with its lower edge at the berm line and with its first cor.- rugation 11 overlapping the landward side of the longitudinal edge corrugation of the sheet 10a. The nozzle of a centrifugal water pump is then directed back and forth along the lower lateral edge of the sheet ltlb to fluidize the soil 12 at that site. As this jetting continues, the sheet 10b settles progressively alongside the sheet 1.0a until their respective upper lateral edges are coextensive. After the desired number of sheets are installed in this manner, the bulkhead may be completed by forming a concrete cap spanning the upper exposed edges of all the sheets, suitable anchorage means maybe extended back into the bank of the canal, and earth fill may be deposited on the landward side of the bulkhead up to the desired ground level.

As the sheet 10b is installed by the jetting process described above, every effort should be made to keep it in close contact with the adjacent sheet 10a at the overlapping corrugations. If the two sheets separate, a crack will be created through which water may pass to wash out fill behind the bulkhead. Such separation is particularly difficult to prevent at the lower edge of the displaced sheet 1% because it is beyond the control of the workmen for all practical purposes. Hence, but for the device of the invention, the lower end of the displaced sheet will often toe inwardly toward the landward side away from the sheet Ida during the jetting p ocess.

It is the major purpose of this invention to provide means for preventing separation of the displaced sheet with respect to the adjoining installed sheet both during the process of installation and after the bulkhead is completed. This is achieved by a connecting device 13, made in one piece of heavy gauge metal, which includes a generally quadrilateral panel portion 14 formed in a simple curved configuration conforming to about two-thirds of the width of one corrugation on the sheet 1012. Thus, two opposite edges 15 and 16 of the panel portion 14 are curved and the other two opposite edges 17 and 18 are straight.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 4, two clip portions 19 are spaced along the lower edge 16 of the panel portion 14. Each clip portion extends in offset relation at 20 from the curved edge 16 of the panel portion 14 and projects back at 21 in opposition to the panel portion 14. The oifset 20 of the clip portions 19 is just slightly greater than the thickness of the corrugated sheet 1912, so that the backwardly extending clip portion is adapted to fit around the lower lateral edge of the sheet 1012.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 2, a single retaining flange portion 22 extends in offset relation at 23 from the straight edge 18 of the panel portion 14 throughout the length thereof. The offset 23 of the flange portion 22 is equal to the offset 20 of the clip portions 19, but is substantially opposite in direction, i.e the flange portion 22 is offset from one face of the panel portion 14 and the clip portions 19 are offset from the opposite face from the panel portion 14-. The flange portion 22 projects outwardly away from the panel portion and generally continues the curved configuration of the panel portion which conforms to the configuration of the sheet 10b.

In operation, the new connecting device 13 is attached to the lower lateral edge of the displaced sheet 10b. The panel portion 14 of the device lies flush against the water side of the sheet 1612, the clip portions 19 extend around to the landward side, and the flange portion 22 laterally overlies the overlapping longitudinal edge of the other sheet 10a as shown in FIG. 2. As the sheet 10b is displaced downwardly by the fluidizing technique, it carries the device 13 with it throughout its descent and all the while the flange portion 22 guides the displaced sheet to insure that its lower edge does not toe out away from the sheet 1%. vents the formation of the crack between the two sheets even at their lowermost edges at a region where, without the device, no prevention of such a crack could be effected. Once the sheet ltlb is installed, the device 13 remains in place and is covered over with fill to continue holding the sheets in proper engagement.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate how the new connecting device may be made either right-handed or left-handed, which is to say alloohiral with respect to one another. In FIG. 4, the flange portion 22 is shown extending from the left side of the panel portion 14', whereas in FIG. 5 the flange portion 22; is shown extending from the right side of the panel portion 14 (just as it does in the device 13 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3). It will be apparent, that the form of the new device shown in FIG. 4 in no way differs in principle from that discussed above. It is useful when a bulkhead is to be installed from left to right (as viewed from the landward side), rather than from right to left as discussed with reference to FIGS. 13. It is also useful, if the displaced sheet lttb is to be displaced downwardly in overlapping relation with the water side, rather than the landward side, of the sheet lila as discussed above. Finally, the FIG. 5 embodiment of the new connecting device is useful for attachment to the upper edge of the installed sheet 10a, rather than the lower edge of the displaced sheet 10b, as a counterpart to the device 13 on the lower edge of the sheet 10b to prevent the exposed upper portions of the installed sheets from separating. This use is indicated by the device 13' appearing in FIG. 1, which can be said to be right-handed with respect to the lefthanded device 13. The upper connecting device 13' is attached to the sheet 10a where illustrated so that its flange portion overlies the sheet 16b during and after the descent thereof into position. The device 13' may thereafter be covered over with concrete when the cap is formed.

This effectively pre- In FIG, 6, a modification of the connecting device is shown for use with perpendicularly oriented corrugated sheets defining a corner in a bulkhead. After one corrugated sheet 25a is installed, another such sheet 25b is located by the jetting technique alongside it and at right angles. The overlapping portions of the sheets 25a and 25!; will not, of course, comprise a full corrugation on each nor will they be in full surface-to-surface contact, but a part of their corrugations can at least substantially overlap much in the manner shown in FIG. 6. A connecting device 27 is attached to the lower edge of the displaced sheet 25b prior to installation such that its panel portion 28 is held in place by clip portions 29 adjacent the overlapping portion of the sheet 250. The only variation from the above design of the connecting device is that in this modified form its flange portion 39 is bent back at a suitable angle in order to overlie the longitudinal overlapping edge of the installed corrugated sheet 25a. In many bulkheads, a change in its direction can be achieved by a gradual curve in a manner such that each pair of adjacent sheets is approximately co-planar, but where a sharp corner must be described this modified form of the connecting device shown in H6. 6 is quite useful since it is still capable of guiding the displaced sheet 25a alongside the installed sheet 25a and preventing the formation of a crack between them. Suitable allochiral forms of the connecting device 27 may be made for the various purposes described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

I claim:

In combination with longitudinally corrugated bulkheading sheets installed by sliding one sheet longitudinally downwardly alongside another with at least one of their side corrguations overlapping, a pair of allochiral rigid one-piece connecting devices attached respectively to the upper lateral edge of an installed sheet and to the lower lateral edge of a displaced sheet being installed adjacent the respective overlapping portions for preventing separation of the respective overlapped portions during and after installation, each of said devices comprising:

(a) a quadnilateral panel portion formed in a curved configuration with two opposed edges straight and the other two opposed edges curved, said panel portion lying flush against a portion of that corrugated face of the sheet to which the device is attached which is in sliding contact with the other sheet,

(b) a plurality of clip portions spaced along and extending in offset relation from one curved edge of said panel portion and projecting back in opposition to said panel portion, said clip portions fitting around said lateral edge of the sheet to which the device is attached, and

(c) a single retaining flange portion extending in offset relation equal in extent but opposite in direction to the offset of said clip portions from one straight edge of said panel portion throughout the length thereof, said flange portion projecting outwardly away from said panel portion, whereby said flange portion laterally overlies the overlapping longitudinal edge of said other sheet as the displaced sheet slides downward into position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,166,563 1/1916 Wemlinger 6-160 1,975,304 10/1934 Walter 50-218 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

35 HENRY c. SUTHERLAND, RICHARD W. COOKE,

111., Examiners. 

